Prosecutors in Norway have charged one individual with negligence in connection with a ship grounding incident that occurred on the country's northern coast late last week.
The individual charged was the second officer of the Cyprus-registered feeder containership NCL Salten, which ran aground and narrowly avoided crashing into some houses near the town of Lauvset on the morning (local time) of Thursday, May 22.
Local authorities have determined that the residences did not suffer any damage and that no injuries or oil spills occurred as a result of the mishap.
An eyewitness later told police that the ship sailed straight towards the coast instead of turning left or right as is typical for large vessels navigating the Trondheimsfjord.
Prosecutors said that the second officer, who was serving as the on-duty navigator at the time of the incident, fell asleep as the ship was still underway near the coast.
The vessel remains grounded near Lauvset as of Monday, May 26, as efforts to refloat it over the weekend were unsuccessful.
North Sea Container Line, the operator of NCL Salten, has confirmed that it is cooperating in the investigation into the mishap.